


Cowards

by oceanicmars



Category: Dragon Age (Video Games), Dragon Age: Origins
Genre: Angst, F/F, F/M, One-Sided Attraction, Warden Dies, but to a naive surana, haha - Freeform, leliana loves the warden but the warden loves ali, tragedy not related to the romance
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-12-28
Updated: 2016-12-28
Packaged: 2018-09-12 19:17:23
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence, Major Character Death
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,006
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/9086362
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/oceanicmars/pseuds/oceanicmars
Summary: Leliana loved the Warden. It killed her as the journey went on, not because the Warden loved Alistair, but because the Warden suffered as time passed, and Alistair couldn't helped her. No one could. And it killed them all.--- --- ---one-shot fic where leliana tells the tale of Ryleigh Surana, a tragic elven mage who was too naive and inexperienced for this journey, and how leli hated the fact alistair (and herself) couldn't help the one they loved





	

Leliana had a dream where she was to help the Wardens. When she first met them, she was excited, just as much as the elven warden; a mage named Ryleigh. They bonded, trusted one another, fought together, and before long Leliana soon realized she was in love.

But she never acted on it. No. Instead she watched and supported Ryleigh for she was in love with Alistair; she supported the two only because Ryleigh's happiness was her own. When they announced their relationship together, she was happy for them.

 

At first.

 

Ryleigh wasn’t prepared for the journey. None of them were, but she was the most inexperienced, the most naive. Every lie, every betrayal, every death, it ate at the Warden. Everyone could see it. They watched the young, peppy girl’s tall stance shrink, and her lively energy fade as time passed.

 

Leliana realized she didn’t like Alistair that much during this time.  
  
"You need to eat more," she murmured one night to Ryleigh, as she handed her her own portion of food, "please, Rye."  
  
Rye hadn't even eaten her portion. It sat untouched in her hands, getting colder by the minute. But she only looked away.  
  
"I'm not hungry."  
  
"You haven't eaten in days," Leliana desperately pleads, "just a little bite. Please."  
  
"No. I'm fine. I'm gonna go check the area again. Make sure we're safe."  
  
Leliana just watched her leave, not having the heart to tell her that this was the seventh time tonight she did so. Everytime she intervened, Rye had always shaken her off, ignoring her. And with time, Leliana saw Rye's eyes get darker.

  
  
So she went to Alistair. If Rye wouldn’t listen to her, then at least maybe she’d listen to him. But Leli let her personal feelings mix in with her genuine ones.  
  
"Why don't you talk to her?" she snaps at him, disgusted that he only watches, doesn't even talk to Rye.  
  
"She doesn't want to talk to me," he only says, avoiding eye contact  
  
"Do not lie me Alistair!" she snarls, clenching her fists, "Do something! She won’t listen to me, talk to me!"  
  
"Well what do you want me to do?!" he asks in a harsh tone, "What should I do when she's refusing everything from everyone?!"  
  
“You are supposed to be there for her! You are a Grey Warden and the only one who could fully understand the burden she carries! You are her _lover_ , for Andrase's sake! At least _try_ to comfort her!”  
  
"I'm trying!"  
  
"Try harder!"  
  
Alistair opens his mouth to respond, but he instead only gapes for a few seconds before he looks away. Leliana's voice cracks into a plead.

 

“She's dying, Alistair. Help her! Please.”

Alistair does not meet Leliana’s eye.  
  
"She's dying, Alistair!!" Leliana now cries out, "She's dying."  
  
And Alistair only looked away.

* * *

Leliana realized Alistair truly didn't know what to say most of the time. And it irritated her further.  
  
Rye was already suffering when she saw the state of the tower. Her childhood home was now a warzone; every enemy they fought was once someone she knew. Every demon they slayed was a former friend.

  
  
After one particular battle, a sole blood mage lay cowering by Rye’s feet. They begged for mercy.  
  
"Please!" the woman cried, "Please, spare me! I'll change, I swear, I will! You know me Rye, I never wanted to use blood magic, but they made me! I swear, let me go, please! We’re friends!"  
  
Rye stared down at her, the grip on her staff getting tighter.

  
  
"Warden, behind you!" Wynne cried, and Rye stepped aside just in time to avoid a frantic mage trying to tackle her. Leliana shot the mage quickly, killing them with an arrow through the throat, but before she could check on Rye, the Warden had turned once more towards the fallen blood mage with fury in her eyes.  
  
"You tricked me!" she cried, "You distracted me!! You used me!!"  
  
"No!! No, I didn't, Ryleigh _please_ \---!!"

The plead was cut short by the end of Ryleigh's staff smashing into their temple with a crack. Before anyone could react, Rye brought down the staff again. And again. And again. Her face contorted in a scream as hot tears washed off the blood that spattered across it. Everyone was stunned by her drastic change in demeanor. Alistair was the first to move, holding her back and pulling her away from what was formerly a blood mage. Now it would be impossible to tell if they were even human; face caved in and mutilated.

 

"Calm down, Ryleigh!" he yelled over her screams, as she flailed and struggle in his grasp, "It's me! Alistair! Calm down!! Look at me!"  
  
She stopped moving once she made eye contact, but continued sobbing. Soon, she was slowly released from Alistair’s grasp, and they now stood face to face.  
  
_Say something_ , Leliana thought, _Do something._  
  
But Alistair only watched as Rye wiped her tears, and looking broken, defeated, trekked on, saying nothing. The only sound heard was on blood dripping off the tip of her staff onto the cold ground.  
  
It was apparent to them all that she was truly gone.

 

Ryleigh Surana would never return to her once joyous self.

* * *

“Why me?” Rye cried one night to Leli, hugging her tightly, “I didn’t ask for this life, so why me? Being an elf, a mage, even a Warden, why must I go through all these hardships?!”

Leli could only hold onto the Warden, stroking her hair, holding back the urge to cry as well. She held back the urge to ask Rye to run away from her, to forget all about the Blight, to escape with her and live happily away. But no, not yet. They were already so far- they had only one more place to go, and that was the Landsmeet. It would be over soon. And then Leli would ask. Because the Warden’s happiness was her own.

* * *

Alistair broke up with Ryleigh.

 

Leli didn’t know how to feel. If this were in better, less dire circumstances, would she be joyous? Angry? Would it depend entirely on Ryleigh’s reaction?

All she could do was dwell on what she had witnessed from the two.

“You should’ve seen this coming,” Alistair had told Ryleigh in a solemn tone, before walking away, past the stunned warden. Ryleigh had just kinged Alistair, given him the throne in order to protect him and Ferelden. She had hated Anora for betraying her, but Leliana knew that this plan had already been decided on when Alistair told her he was the bastard son of the king.

 

Rye had only wanted to protect Alistair by placing him on a throne so that he was needed and thus, not allowed to die. By making him king, he was now expected to lead Ferelden and remain a public figure, where if he were to disappear, there would be outrage.

It was something Rye decided on because she loved him.

 

Leliana, who had been eavesdropping, decided she should go to Ryleigh and make sure she was okay. But when Leliana entered the room, Ryleigh only looked relieved. A strange, mellow look was on her face, and she only nodded at Leliana before taking her leave.

That scared Leliana.

* * *

Alistair stayed behind.

 

That was a first. Alistair was always with Ryleigh. They were always together.

It was to be expected though. He was the king, he needed to lead his people. He had just broken up with Ryleigh. They weren't together anymore.

But the way Rye and Ali looked at one another. The way they nodded, the way Ali’s face twisted when Rye began to walk away-

 

Leliana felt a chill run down her spine.

* * *

Ryleigh had never used a sword before.

 

But when she ran towards the Archdemon, swinging a sword a bit too big for her frail, thin body, she looked like Alistair. No, Leliana knew she had purposely copied him.

And in that momet Leliana knew that Ryleigh would never run away with her.

The light that followed was blinding. The air was knocked out of her, and she fell backwards. White noise followed, and soon, it felt like time stopped.

 

She remembered the first time she met the Warden.  

The first time they fought together. The first time they set up camp. The Dalish woods, Orzammar, The Circle, Redcliffe, Denerim, Haven, the Landsmeet.

She remembered the times Rye laughed. When she smiled, danced, asked curious questions.

She remembered when Rye stopped eating. The color drained from her. She remembers when Rye no longer slept. She no longer cared.

She remembers the times Ryleigh cried and screamed. Begged for mercy. How she woke up from fierce nightmares and sobbed till morning.

And Leliana remembered how much Ryleigh loved Alistair.

 

When the noise faded and time began once more, she sat up slowly. It was quiet, calm.

 

“Ryleigh,” she breathed out, “Ryleigh!”

She scrambled up to her feet, slipping on the blood stains, but ran towards the small figure on the floor, laying still on her side. Leliana dropped to her knees, and cradled Rye in her arms.

 

She didn’t bother to check for a pulse, the soft smile on Ryleigh’s face said it all.

So Leliana screamed, tears streaming down her face, as she held the body tightly in her arms, rocking back and forth. She mourned the loss of her beloved, a girl she had loved so passionately that she would have stopped the world to see her happy.

 

She regretted every moment she did not let Rye know that.

 

Sten had to carry the body. He held her delicately in his hands as the trio made their way back down the tower. Zevran kept an arm around Leli as she continued to sob. The world was silent, as if mourning for the Warden as well.

* * *

When they brought the body down; broken, bloody, an empty shell of a once valiant woman, Leliana first looked to Alistair. Every time a tragedy occurred, every time Ryleigh slipped further and further into despair, he had looked away. He was always clueless, always hesitating in fear of hurting her more by saying the wrong thing. Leliana knew, only because she too feared hurting their Warden. She had always at least attempted to get through to her though.  
  
So when Alistair looked away again, with a look of resignation, Leliana knew. She knew that this time, he wasn’t clueless.

  
  
Alistair was a coward. Leliana hated him.

 

“You knew,” she first murmured, but soon raised her voice, “You knew! You knew she was going to die!”

Alistair continued to look away. And a furious rage that had built up in Leliana clawed it’s way out.

“You knew!!” she screeched, lunging for the man, only to be held back by Zevran, “You knew!! And you just looked away?!”

 

Alistair’s face twisted a bit, but she continued to scream.

“Why?! Why didn’t you stop her, answer me Alistair!! You look at me now and tell me why you didn’t stop her!”

“She left me no choice,” he hissed out through clenched teeth, but Leliana shook her head furiously and glared at him.

“You could’ve stopped her!” she screamed, “You could’ve convinced her to find another way!! Instead you left her go!! You knew!!! You knew!!”

She doesn’t hear the others. Her focus is on Alistair who won’t look at her. Her focus is on the fire that exploded out of her and won’t calm down. He knew.

 

“You knew all along,” she screamed at the top of her lungs at him, “that this was a suicide mission all along, didn’t you Alistair?!”

* * *

The Hero of Ferelden.

A valiant elven mage who helped saved Ferelden.

She died slaying the Archdemon.

 

That’s how history would remember her.

 

But Leliana only knew her as Ryleigh, the naive Warden who wasn’t prepared for the harsh journey. Ryleigh, the girl she loved with every inch of her heart. Ryleigh, the young, selfish, inexperienced traveler who underestimated the world.

 

Leliana died with Ryleigh that day.

**Author's Note:**

> hello! my name is mars and this was the tragedy of my warden ryleigh surana in a shorted, angsty fic lol  
> i only really wrote this to accompany the fanart that comes with it, which can be found on my tumblr! other than that, i have a lot planned to write regarding my warden and the origins crew, so look forward to that!!
> 
> shoutout to sak (sleepysak.tumblr.com) for editing and helping me with the fic!! she's the best and i love her with all my heart!!!! without her i'd be dead tbh lol
> 
> thanks so much for reading my fic! please leave kudos and comments and let me know what you thought! thank you so much! <3
> 
> you can find my tumblr at oceanicmarina.tumblr.com!!


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